Composition for and method of substantially reducing pile-up of cuttings on hole bottom in cable drop drilling

ABSTRACT

This is a composition for and a method of rapidly materially increasing the viscosity of the water and increasing the lubricity effect on suspended cuttings in cable drop drilling to float the cuttings to provide a relatively clear area for each drill impact and to coat the cuttings to reduce the wear on the drill in its impact therewith. The composition comprises substantially two-thirds calcium chloride and one-third Galactomannan, a Guar bean product. About one ounce of the composition is added to each gallon of drill water. The method includes depositing a sack or more of the composition in the lower part of the drill water and rupturing the same on drilling to quickly gel the lower portion of the water column. The sack is soluble in water preferably.

Unite States Patent 51 3,637 030 Bardwell 1 Jan. 25, 1972 [541 COMPOSITION FOR AND METHOD OF OTHER PUBLICATIONS SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCING PILE-UP OF QUTTINGS ON HOLE BOTTOM IN CABLE DROP DRILLING Uren, Petroleum Production Engineering, Oil Field Development, Third Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Co., inc. (1946), New York, pp. 275, 281 and 286* 289.

Inventor: Allen E. Bardwell, Princeton, NJ. P i Examiner-Stephen J. Novosad [73] Assignee: Trident Industries, 1nc., Princeton, NJ. Anomeymkmgsland Rogers Ezell E'ners Robbms [22] Filed: Jan. 7. I970 [57] ABSTRACT [21 Appl. No.; 1,180 This is a composition for and a method of rapidly materially increasing the viscosity of the water and increasing the lubricity effect on suspended cuttings in cable drop drilling to float the cuttings to provide a relatively clear area for each drill imi 75/65 pact and to coat the cuttings to reduce the wear on the drill in 175/72 its impact therewith. The composition comprises substantially two-thirds calcium chloride and one-third Galactomannan, a Guar bean product. About one ounce of the composition is [56] References Cited added to each gallon of drill water The method includes UNITED STATES PATENTS depositing a sack or more of the composition in the lower part of the drill water and rupturing the same on drilling to quickly 37 l ,679 10/1887 Githens 175/65 l th lower portion of the water column. The sack is soluble 1,400,962 12/1921 Leonard ..175/65 in water preferably, 2,609,880 9/1952 Dyer 166/294 UX 3,190,373 6/l 965 Weathersby ...166/ll7 x 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 3,417,824 12/1968 van Poollen ..l75/72 X WIQ A Y Q A WATER X LEVEL -g 1 24 55 x z I :V; t; 2 22 a X COMPOSITION FOR AND METHOD OF SIUBSTANTIALLY REDUCING PILE-UP OF CU'I'IINGS N HOLE BOTTOM IN CABLE DROP DRILLING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to the art of cable drop drilling, and more particularly to a novel composition for substantially reducing pileup of cuttings on the hole bottom and wear on the bit from impact with cuttings in cable drop drilling by increasing the viscosity and lubricity effect of the drill water and to a novel method of effectively applying such composition, and the like, the container for the composition being preferably soluble in water.

2. Description of the Prior Art Additives available to the drilling industry are primarily for rotary drills. These are usually very sticky, hard to handle, and will pack up creating a film around the inside of the well acting as a wall to hold the well in place. These are not satisfactory for cable tool drilling which seeks only to have quickly a thicker water solution to suspend cuttings during the drilling cycle. Rotary muds are very slow in dispersing. Such additives have been dropped in well holes. Hence, cable drop drilling has long needed an adequate concerned composition and means for using same.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In brief, The present novel composition comprises substantially two-thirds by weight calcium chloride and one-third Galactomannan, a Guar beam product, a composition having characteristics of rapid hydration and dispersement of the latter through the water and as rapidly increasing the waters viscosity and its lubricity effect on suspended cuttings. The novel method comprises adding sacked composition to the bottom part of the drill water in the hole and rupturing the sack while disposed in the lower portion of the drill water, the sack preferably being water soluble.

Hence, objects of the present invention are to provide a novel composition for and a novel method of quickly materially increasing the viscosity of the drill water in the drilling area to float the cuttings and the lubricity effect on the floated cuttings, which substantially cleanse the hole bottom for each drop stroke to materially increase the rate of drilling, which coats the cuttings to significantly decrease the wear on the drill bit as it drops through them in drilling, which are highly effective and efficient in achieving said just stated objects, which are relatively inexpensive for the results achieved, which can be readily employed in the field with the expected superior results with minimum instructions to and training of field personnel, and which are adapted to attain further objects and advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of mechanism for carrying out the present novel method;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a fragment of a lifting tool supporting a bag of the present novel composition: and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on substantially the line 3 3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present novel composition has been developed particularly to meet the needs of cable drop drilling. It comprises substantially two-thirds salt, as calcium chloride, and one-third Galactomannan, as Jaguar Guar gum products made by Stein Hall & Co., Inc., of New York City, under its Jaguar trademark from the Guar bean. Important characteristics of the Galactomannan are its effectiveness in quickly increasing the viscosity of water and its lubricity action on the cuttings at the lower part of a well being dug by cable drop tools. Locust bean gum or paraffin gum can be used. Essential characteristics of the half include its effectiveness in rapidly dispersing and causing fast hydration of the Galactomannan, so that the latter immediately goes to work on increasing the viscosity of the water at the bottom of the well hole, instead of balling up and floating to the top of the water column. It is important that the Galactomannan promptly increase water viscosity in the drilling part of the water column for maximum efficiency of the composition. Gradually, of course, the whole water column will thicken during a drilling cycle.

One ounce of the novel composition to a gallon of drill water in the lower part of a column of water in a drill hole produces excellent desired results, i.e., a quickly achieved materially higher viscosity of the concerned water which floats cuttings to give a substantially clear hole bottom for the drill bit to strike, thereby substantially increasing the cutting rate, drillers reporting 15 percent to 30 percent increase over conventional drilling. In addition, the lubricity effect on the cuttings is increased, so that wear on the bit in its downstroke contact therewith is significantly decreased, effecting longer use.

The present novel method of application encompasses the provision of a composition of the nature of that described above for the stated purposes and objects, packaging the material in desired increments, as l and 8 ounces, lowering the packaged composition into the column of water in the drill hole by means of a drill string to the lower part thereof, and rupturing the package in the drilling operation. The composition is released into the water in the desired area, namely, the water at and near the bottom of the hole, for its rapid dispersing and quick increase in water viscosity, to float the cuttings off the bottom of the hole to maintain top drilling efficiency. Further, the composition lubricates the cuttings so that the wear on the bit striking cuttings moving up and down in the hole bottom some 30 inches is materially reduced.

Preferably, the bag is water soluble to insure immediate rupture and to avoid the possibility of a well screen of a water pump becoming clogged. Plastic bags and others can be employed and the sack removed with cuttings by bailing.

In the drawings is diagrammatically illustrated mechanism for carrying out steps of the present novel method. A rig l0 suspends a string of cable drop tools 112 by means of a steel cable 14 in a well hole 16 being dug thereby. The tools 12 include a bit 18, a cuttings lifting unit 20, and an added blow unit 22. Water 24 is in the hole 16. It will be understood that the rig l0 conventionally raises and drops the string of tools 12 a predetermined number of times per minute in drilling the hole 16.

The cuttings lifting unit 20 includes flat lifting surfaces 26 on which a bag 28 of the above novel composition is disposed and held in position by tape or string 30, or other desired way. The reciprocating action of the unit 20 will effect rupture of the bag 28, which will be quicker when of water soluble material. The bag 28 may be attached by tape and the like to the bottom or neck of the bit 18, as will be the case when a cuttings lifting unit is not employed.

It is apparent that there have been provided a novel composition and novel method which fulfill the objects sought.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings have been given by way of illustration and example. It is also to be understood that substitution of equivalent elements or steps, and rearrangement of steps, which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the claims which follow.

Iclaim:

I. A method of increasing the rate of cable drop drilling comprising the steps of providing a composition adapted to mix quickly with and to increase the viscosity of water in a drill hole and for providing a lubricity effect on floated cuttings comprising a salt and Galactomannan. Packaging said composition, conveying said packaged composition into water in a hole being drilled in the ground to a point near the bottom of the hole, and thereafter rupturing the package to disperse the composition in the water to rapidly increase the viscosity of the water at the lower end of a cable drop hole and to lubricate floated cuttings.

2. The method of claim I in which substantially two-thirds of the composition by weight is a salt and one-third is Galactomannan 3. The method of claim 2 in which the salt is calcium chloride and the Galactomannan is Guar bean gum.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the salt includes characteristics of both rapidly dispersing and effecting hydration of the Galactomannan in water.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the salt is calcium chloride and the Galactomannan is Guar bean gum.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the packaged composition is dispersed in the water by the cable drop drilling action.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the packaged composition is connected to the lower part of a string of drill tools and lowered into the well hole thereby.

8. A method of increasing the rate of cable drop drilling comprising the steps of providing a composition adapted to mix quickly with and to increase the viscosity of water in a drill hole, bagging said composition, conveying said bagged composition into water in a hole being drilled in the ground to a point near the bottom of the hole, and thereafter rupturing the bag to discharge the composition into the water by the cable drop drilling action.

9. A method of increasing the rate of cable drop drilling comprising the steps of providing a composition adapted to mix quickly with and to increase the viscosity of water in a drill hole, bagging said composition, connecting said bagged composition to the lower part of a string of drill tools and conveying it thereby into water in a hole being drilled in the ground to a point near the bottom of the hole, and thereafter rupturing the bag to discharge the composition into the water. 

2. The method of claim 1 in which substantially two-thirds of the composition by weight is a salt and one-third is Galactomannan.
 3. The method of claim 2 in which the salt is calcium chloride and the Galactomannan is Guar bean gum.
 4. The method of claim 1 in which the salt includes characteristics of both rapidly dispersing and effecting hydration of the Galactomannan in water.
 5. The method of claim 1 in which the salt is calcium chloride and the Galactomannan is Guar bean gum.
 6. The method of claim 1 in which the packaged composition is dispersed in the water by the cable drop drilling action.
 7. The method of claim 1 in which the packaged composition is connected to the lower part of a string of drill tools and lowered into the well hole thereby.
 8. A method of increasing the rate of cable drop drilling comprising the steps of providing a composition adapted to mix quickly with and to increase the viscosity of water in a drill hole, bagging said composition, conveying said bagged composition into water in a hole being drilled in the ground to a point near the bottom of the hole, and thereafter rupturing the bag to discharge the composition into the water by the cable drop drilling action.
 9. A method of increasing the rate of cable drop drilling comprising the steps of providing a composition adapted to mix quickly with and to increase the viscosity of water in a drill hole, bagging said composition, connecting said bagged composition to the lower part of a string of drill tools and conveying it thereby into water in a hole being drilled in the ground to a point near the bottom of the hole, and thereafter rupturing the bag to discharge the composition into the water. 